


Take From Me

by orphan_account



Series: What you want, What you need [2]
Category: Actor RPF, British Actor RPF
Genre: Abuse, Again, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Awkwardness, Breakup, Cheating, Denial of Feelings, Drugs, Family, Fluff, Gay, Gen, Graduation, Harrisom moved on, Harrison moves away, Heavy Angst, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Implied Sexual Content, Internalized Homophobia, Is this too many tags, LMAO, Lots of time skips, Lovers to Friends, M/M, Minor Character Death, Multi, Pining, Platonic Relationships, Soulmates, Still, Temporary relationship, Uber?, Zendaya isn’t taking SHIT, another cliffhanger, concerned harrison, gay relationship, i love them, lots of POV changes, or has he, probably some continuities, saying goodbye
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-20
Updated: 2019-02-20
Packaged: 2019-10-29 11:37:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17807294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Tom and Harrison have broken up. When they go back to school, it’s awkward as hell... and Harrison seems to have moved on. Things only get worse until the end, where I am evil and leave you at yet another cliffhanger :0





	Take From Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Jeston17](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jeston17/gifts).



> I’m so sorry this took so long to get out, I literally rewrote the last part like 5 times :P Enjoy!  
> I’m so sorry for any errors/if this sucks. I’m a forgetful person 😔

Neither Tom nor Harrison went back to school that week, and they didn’t have school the week after that. It felt like the longest amount of time for Tom; his heart was aching, but he would do it for ~~Harrison~~ himself and his dad. He just couldn’t disappoint his dad anymore… even if it meant he wanted Tom to go to sessions with these people that kept telling him over and over that the name on his arm was a mistake. ~~Going didn’t mean he had to listen.~~ If it meant not being sent glares and receiving thwacks to the back of his head for staring at boys in public, he’d stop. Anything but a full-blown beating. Sucking up and acting fine in front of his brothers? Yep. Pinching himself and taking cold showers each time he had the urge to masturbate to the thought of kissing, cuddling, fucking boys? He would. But he couldn’t stop his tears.  
No matter how hard he tried, or how often he tried to beg his mom to help him from beyond the grave, somehow… somehow…  
When the school break was finally over, Tom found himself staring at the entrance of the school, gripping his backpack straps tightly in his hand as people pushed past him. Drawing a deep breath, he made his way inside and kept his gaze to the floor as he felt everyone staring at him. As he heard the faint whispers between the slightly louder, normal conversations among friends. Friends. He and Harrison were friends, right? Good friends. ~~More than-~~ No. Just friends. Tom made his way towards the familiar pile of dark hair belonging to Zendaya. When he stepped into the group, everyone seemed to go quiet. Tom gulped and looked around, when he noticed Harrison standing next to a girl he had seen around the school… Annabelle? She had wavy brown hair cropped to a bob, and she was wearing a hoodie that was definitely too big for her… and it looked like Harrison’s. _It was Harrison’s hoodie. And they were holding hands._ The world slowed down. Had he really moved on from Tom… his soulmate… that fast? A girl...  
There was a black band around his wrist that shattered Tom’s heart.  
The bell rang, speeding everything up around him. His head spun as Harrison leaned down and pecked Annabelle’s lips, gently cupping her cheek before he adjusted his backpack and… made eye contact with Tom.  
He fucking smiled.  
“Hey Thomas,” he said, walking beside the boy to their class. Tom hugged his books to his chest and stared at his shoes.  
“Hey Haz.”  
Nothing else was said between them as they walked into the classroom and took their usual seats. Tom flipped open his notebook and turned a beet red when his eyes fell upon a pair of initials, wrapped up inside a heart. TH + HO. He quickly turned the page and sank deeper into his own hoodie as people filed in. They went quiet as soon as they saw Tom sitting by Harrison, who was working diligently on his notes. Class began, and the teacher walked in, beginning her lecture. Everything was a blur to Tom, going in one year and out the other as he mindlessly copied down words, meaningless words. Words that had nothing to do with how he was feeling, how all of this sucked and how he kind of wished he was just fucking dead.  
But he wouldn’t do that. He didn’t want to end on a disappointing note.  
When the bell finally rang to signify next period, Tom slugglishly gathered his things and made is way towards the door, the last one out- before his teacher called him back. He trudged back to her desk and wiped at his eye.  
“Hey, Ms. Johnson,” he mumbled. “Is this about the work that I missed?”  
She nodded and handed him a small packet. “There’s material you will need which I will send to you through email,” she said, folding her hands back in front of her. “And… Thomas, if you would like to switch seats, or if you need to stay after for anything, don’t hesitate to talk to me.”  
Tom gave her a half smile and nodded, walking out. The rest of his day went similarly: lunch was spent hunched over the English book he needed to catch up on while his friends laughed and joked around him. As Harrison and Annabelle held hands. He sighed and didn’t touch his lunch the entire time. The rest of the day was a drag, until they were finally released and Tom ran home, not caring that his chest was heaving by the time he made it to his driveway and his limbs were burning. He was a fit boy, but that distance at that speed would exhaust anyone. So he ended up dragging himself to his room and flopping on the bed, forgetting about any work that he had to make up due to his absence.  
As school continued, Tom was finding his interactions with Harrison to be… definitely not what they used to be. While Tom had begun talking a bit more, it was like they knew it would never be the same. Especially if Harrison was as committed to Annabelle as he seemed. Sometimes when Tom texted his friend, he wouldn’t reply until hours later and excuse himself for being on a date with Annabelle. She was nice enough, and didn’t mind the fact that Tom was gay. The only thing she seemed to try to erase was the fact that Harrison had ever had a history with another guy- which just so happened to be Tom. He understood though… she loved Harrison, and hell, Harrison probably loved her. More than he could ever love Tom now.  
And Dominic… well, he had gotten better with Tom. Obviously, he occasionally yelled at Tom if he was ever suspected of “unnatural” activity, but that wasn't often. There was one time when Tom was certain that his father was asleep, so he slipped into the shower and washed away the dirt and grime from the day, all the while, grabbing at his dick and letting out quiet moans. He was just about to release when the door was flung open and he slipped, falling flat on his ass as the water continued to pour over his body. Dom pushed back the shower curtain and without looking down, turned off the water before throwing a towel at his son. “Go to bed,” he mumbled, but then he noticed the slight tent from under the towel where Tom’s crotch was. He lifted the boy up to his feet, the towel coming with him, pulled him out of the small space, and threw him onto the ground.  
“You weren’t thinking of him, were you?” he growled.  
Tom shook his head. “N-no sir.” He scrambled to his feet and wrapped the towel around his waist. “No-nobody. G’night.”  
And with that, he was off to his room.

When Tom woke up to Dom’s frown and a few papers being thrown onto his lap, he knew it couldn't be good. Maybe not in the way he expected, but it wasn’t good. Upon further examination, he realized that the form was for a dance the school would be hosting. Tom sighed and looked up at his dad, who had a certain look on his face that let Tom know he wouldn't be getting out of this one. He was stuck going to the dance… and for extra points, bringing a girl with him. Maybe he wouldn’t even bring anyone with him. His dad had to understand that, right?  
The dance was the next friday of that month. Mostly everyone in the school was planning on going, especially the people who had their soulmates and were looking for a night to have together. A special evening. What Tom and Harrison couldn’t have anymore- no. He couldn’t think like that, couldn’t be so selfish when Harrison was so happy with Annabelle. But he would at least make an effort for his dad and attend the dance in a button-down and some dress pants. Maybe throw a tie in just for formality.  
The night came. Tom was dressed up the way he had planned and had gotten an Uber to the school. If he knew these high school dance parties, there would most likely be at least some spiked punch and he didn’t want to have to drive home in a haze and possibly have the sweet release-  
He walked into the school gymnasium. The lights were flashing and the music was already pumping through the speakers, students dancing and eating and talking and having a good time. Which might’ve been why Tom felt out of place as soon as he stepped inside, but he found some of his friends and loosened up when he had- and he had guessed it- some spiked punch. It was good and it made him feel warm and fuzzy- like he had when he was with Harrison. GOD. He missed Harrison. At one point, he lowered the sleeve of his shirt to peek at the name on his wrist and admire the name. _Souuuulmatessss._  
But he wasn’t that drunk. Not really. He could handle it, at least. Eventually, he made his way to the bathroom to take a piss and stopped when he was washing his hands to look in the mirror. His tie was hanging loosely around his neck and his hair was far messier than when he had first arrived. Half of his shirt was untucked, and the bags under his eyes seemed more prominent than ever. He huffed out a breath and stumbled out, ending up in one of the classrooms that was in the hall on the way back to the gym. He went inside and slumped against the wall by the door, dragging his hand through his hair and down his face.  
Meanwhile, Harrison was dancing with Annabelle when he saw Tom wander out of the gym. He excused himself to go to the bathroom, but he went off to look for his friend. Yeah, he considered them to be friends. And he was happy with Annabelle, she was kind and pretty and had a good sense of humor. He was happy. He loved her. He loved her. He loved her. And Tom was his best friend.  
He had first talked to Annabelle when they were the only ones on this mathematics class chat. They had seen each other around the school, but they never really talked face to face until they planned to meet at a cafe over their break. And they saw each other for a few days that week, allowing Harrison to forget about his horrible breakup with Tom. Almost. But Annabelle was great, and Tom seemed fine, albeit tired.  
He found himself looking around the bathroom for Tom, but either he hadn’t gone there or he had already left. Sighing, Harrison wandered around for a bit until he heard a door in the hallway shut from behind him. He turned and jogged towards the noise, turning into the computer lab. He stuck his head in and glanced around the room… Tom was sitting against the wall with his head between his knees, his arms wrapped around them. His back was shaking and there were small sobs escaping from his lips.  
He couldn’t do it. He still loved Harrison, he loved him so goddamn much and he would be damned if his soulmate didn’t mean anything. It meant everything to him. Fuck Annabelle, however nice she might appear. Harrison was his- the universe said so. Fuck Harrison for moving on so fast and leaving Tom in the dust so that he didn’t even feel like his friend anymore. Fuck himself for being gay, a disappointment, for ditching Harrison in the first place, for thinking all these horrible things when it was his own fault.  
Someone was next to him. Soft breaths puffing and landing against his cold, clammy skin. A jacket on his shoulders.  
“Tommy?”  
His head shot up, revealing red-rimmed eyes and a snotty nose. “H-Hazza, what’re you doing here?”  
The taller boy bit his lip and fiddled with his fingers. “I- I saw you wander off and I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Do you have a ride home? Are you… are you okay?”  
Tom was silent, simply staring into the other boy’s eyes, searching for something. He wiped at his face and stretched his legs out, looking back at Harrison’s concerned face before he surged forward and pecked Harrison’s lips. When Harrison didn’t respond in any way, Tom pressed forwards again and kept his lips there until Harrison gently pushed him away.  
“T-Thomas, what’re you-”  
“I love you, Hazzy, and I’m so sorry that I broke us up,” he cried softly. “I just- I was- my dad was hurtin’ me an’ I didn’t want to upset you or my brothers or my friends an’ mom-”  
Harrison felt his heart tug at the sound of Tom’s voice cracking, and even though he was a bit tipsy, he shut the mumbling boy up by initiating a kiss himself. Internally, something small and insignificant was screaming for him to stop, but he just felt something that lead him to believe that the only way to heal Tom- his Tommy- was to kiss him. The pair fell flat on the ground, Tom on top of the taller boy with their legs slotted together, wet lips smacking against each other as singers were carded through gelled-up locks and soft moans filled the room. Tom gasped a bit when Harrison’s hips rutted upwards and rubbed against his covered erection and reached down to palm the brunette-  
The door burst open. The two boys scrambled off each other, but the light had already flooded over them and revealed them to the figure standing in the doorway. Tom was panting slightly and his vision blurred, but from what he could make out, Harrison was getting to his feet and speaking to the… girl… that had walked in on them and her voice was rising until she was yelling and fingers were pointing at him and the door slammed and-  
He woke up in a car.

Harrison’s heart shriveled when he saw Annabelle standing in front of him, staring in awe between him and Tom. Her eyes welled up and Harrison hurried to stand up, struggling to find the words. “A-Annabelle, it was just-”  
“Just what?” she snapped, mascara running. “Just fucking around with your ex? God, Harrison, were you seeing him this entire time and just- just using me to make it seem like you had a girlfriend?”  
Harrison stuttered. “N-no, Annie, he’s drunk and upset and it meant-”  
“No!” she yelled, lifting a finger to Harrison’s chest and jabbing it forwards. “I don’t give a fuck about any dumb excuses. We’re done, Ostefield, and he,” she pointed at Tom, who was groaning and struggling to stay awake, “is not the only one responsible.”  
Harrison’s eyes welled up. He loved Annabelle. He loved Annabelle. He loved her, he loved her, and he liked girls- just girls, not Tom, not Tom, nottomnottomnottom…  
“Goodbye, Harrison,” the girl said flatly, storming out of the room, leaving Harrison in shock. It took awhile for him to recover, and during that time, Tom blacked out. The taller boy wiped at his eyes and stared down at the smaller boy, no thoughts in his mind as he grabbed Tom, throwing one arm around his shoulder and dragging him to his car. Taking a deep breath, he began to drive to Tom’s house.  
Tom woke up a few minutes later. He groaned and looked over at whoever was driving him… shit. Harrison.  
“H-Hazza-”  
Harrison’s hands gripped the wheel and he focused on the road. “Shut up, Thomas.”  
“Wh-what happened?” the brunette mumbled, palming his forehead. He knew he had ended up in the computer lab, but after that- oh. _Oh._  
Harrison said nothing, and the silence was so thick, one might have been able to cut through it with a knife. “I like her, Tommy, not you.”  
“Harrison, I was-”  
“I DON’T GIVE TWO SHITS ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT, OR HOW DRUNK YOU WERE,” he snapped, aggressively pulling over to the side of the road and stopping the car. “Tom, we were over! You ended it yourself when you said that it needed to be done, and I didn’t get a say.” He sobbed. “Fuck Tom, I just want to be happy for once in my life. I want everything to be okay between me and Annabelle, but that can never happen. I want to be friends with you, but if you keep pulling shit like this I know I’ll never be able to stop and I can’t do that because it’s not good for you an-and God I just want you to be okay and understand how-how much I value- I do-“  
Harrison couldn’t help but burst into tears, slumping forward onto the wheel. Tom sat there, wide-eyed and petrified as the taller boy heaved his heart out. Eventually, Tom tenderly put a hand on Harrison’s back, who turned into the touch.  
The truth was, Harrison never really loved Annabelle. He had been in denial of his feelings for Tom, because he truly did love him. When they were together, he felt so much more and was willing to offer so much more to the boy that owned his heart. And when he was with her, he hadn’t even been able to maintain his friendship with Tom. If he said that didn’t hurt, he’d be a fucking dirty liar, because it practically shattered his soul.  
Harrison quieted down and moved away from Tom, setting his hands back on the wheel. He wiped at his face and Tom stared out the window. The rest of the ride was silent until Harrison pulled in front of Tom’s house, who got out and made his way to his bedroom window to slip inside at the late hour. Harrison watched as he went inside, sniffing deeply and wiping at his eyes once more before driving off again.

Monday at school, Harrison didn’t show up. He didn’t show up on Tuesday either. Tom did, and he anxiously wondered what had happened to his… friend. Whatever they were to each other. Classes were boring and strangely quiet: Zendaya had Tom over once and they played video games without talking, but something was off without Harrison. It wasn’t until Harrison’s mom came to the school about a week after the dance that they got their answers. Harrison would be transferred to a different school. His family wouldn’t be moving, but he had decided to switch schools, no matter how much it hurt him or how much he hated it or how much he missed his friends or-  
It was an all-boys school with uniforms. Nobody was labeled as gay, and Harrison wasn’t interested in anybody there. He fell into a simple routine every day. It was always the same, almost robotic and if he was honest, numbing. He missed his friends, but he couldn’t bring himself to face them quite yet.  
Months would pass. Summer vacation began, which meant that their class would be seniors come the school year. It was scary to think about, especially as everyone began to look into colleges and universities, in the country and outside the country, all over the world. Tom still made sure he was hanging out with the same group of friends and tried to mentally prepare himself for the separation. But he had already been separated from the most important person in his life. Sometimes, he would stare at Harrison’s name and wonder if they would ever see each other again. Wonder if they would be those soulmates that never got together and found someone naturally.  
That summer was a particularly hot one. Harrison was not one to enjoy the heat, so he ended up staying inside where the AC was for most of the time. He did like to ride his bike a bit, but he sped past Tom’s road for… obvious reasons. But sitting inside allowed him to think about the events of the past year. And the year before that. God, he loved Tom. But he couldn’t feel anything, and thought that… if he had been so willing to throw away his soulmate, maybe he didn’t deserve one. Tom did. He deserved one much, much better than Harrison. He had just been an idiot to try and absorb himself in Annabelle, and it really wasn’t fair to her. He shouldn’t have yelled at Tom that one night on the way home from the dance, but maybe that was the turning point that allowed him to think about all this. He’d fucked up, and he didn’t know how to fix it.

* * *

Surprisingly, Tom made it to the start of the new school year. He had been able to leave the house while his dad was out working and found himself hanging out with Zach and Laura a lot. He would still see his other friends, but for some reason those two really seemed to stick with him. Upon arriving at the school for the first time, Tom found himself looking around the school for Harrison. Anyone around his height with dirty-blonde hair and striking blue-green eyes. Unless Haz had majorly changed over the couple of months they’d been separated… Tom wasn’t sure what to expect, but found himself full of disappointment when he didn’t see his… best friend. Anywhere. The entire day. Unless that happened to have no classes together, Harrison was either just not at school for the first day or… never coming back. At least Tom knew where Harrison was currently going to school- probably still at that all-boy school. So when the day was finally over, Tom grabbed his bag from his locker and sprinted out of the school, waving goodbye to Laura, Zach, Jacob, and Tony as he left. His phone rang in his pocket, signifying that Dom was trying to call him, but Tom ignored it and continued towards Harrison’s house. For some reason, he had a wide smile on his face as he turned onto Harrison’s street and approached his house. But it quickly faded off his face when there were two cars in the driveway that he didn’t recognize. He went up to the door anyways and rang the doorbell. A few minutes passed before an elderly couple answered.  
Tom felt his heart shatter.  
Had Harrison left without saying goodbye?  
“Can we help you?” the man asked gently.  
Tom gulped and wiped at his eyes. “S-sorry, I just- my best friend used to live here. I um… did they move out?”  
The woman nodded. “Just finished yesterday. Say, you wouldn’t happen to be Thomas, would you? Thomas Holland?”  
Tom could only nod in confusion before the man shuffled off into the house and came back with an envelope. “I suggest you go on home and read that,” he said. “Your friend left it with us just in case you ever came back. He said he wasn’t sure when or if you ever would come, but he said he was sorry that he couldn’t deliver it in person.”  
Tom sniffed as his eyes threatened to spill over. “T-thank you,” he said quietly. At that moment, his phone rang again. It was Dominic again, so Tom excused himself from the older couple and stepped off the porch, declining his father’s call. Instead of going home, he found himself walking to a diner and ordering a strawberry milkshake- Harrison’s favorite. He smiled slightly at the taste of the beverage- it reminded him of simpler times when they were together. When they were in love and able to hold hands as they took their secret route to school before they had to separate. How Harrison’s lips taste like cigarettes and strawberry chapstick. Slowly, he ripped open the envelope to reveal a folded up piece of paper. It fell open to reveal lines of Harrison’s neat handwriting.  
Tom’s eyes skimmed over the words and he tried to bite back his tears, but a few slipped down his cheeks and onto his lap. He could practically hear Harrison reading off the words.  
  
_Tom-_  
I’m sorry I wasn’t able to give you this in person, or just tell you in general face to face. I have no idea when you’ll get this… but I hope you understand. My family is moving to America, some place in Massachusetts where I’ll finish high school and go to college.  
I’m sorry we left on such a bad note. Over the summer, I’ve had time to think. It’s not your fault, Tom, it never was. I don’t know if we’ll ever see each other again, but I miss you. So much. But I have faith that you’ll do alright… you’re smart and talented, you’ll find a way without me. And who knows, maybe you’ll find somebody else. That’s okay. I just want you to be happy. So I hope you can get out of your dad’s place and find your own home among your own family. Tell Sam, Harry, and Paddy I said hello and goodbye.  
Anyways. I love you, Tommy, and I always will. I’ll never forget what we had. Your name will always stick with me, quite literally. I hope we’ll be lucky enough to at least see each other one more time.  
-Harrison

Tom gulped and folded up the letter, now crying freely. He tucked it back into the envelope and stood, putting some money down to pay for his milkshake before he hurried out of the diner. When he got home, Dom had gone to his late-night shift, so it was just Tom and his brothers. He climbed out of his window onto the roof beneath it and sat on the edge, grabbing the last cigarette from a box he swiped from Tony, who had already gone through half of it.  
The smoke swirled around him and tears splashed on the shingles. The wind blew gently, moving Tom’s hair a minuscule amount. When the cigarette was too short to smoke anymore, he stubbed it out with his foot and pulled his knees up to his chest.  
And all was silent. 

* * *

Tom slumped back in his chair as the remainder of the names of students in his class were called. The lights on the stage above them were surprisingly bright for an outdoor ceremony, but he guessed it was a necessary fanfare. But this way, he couldn’t really see who was sitting in the audience very well. Sure, he knew his dad and his brothers were out there, but… maybe he was just getting his hopes up. Of course Harrison wouldn’t show up, he didn’t really have any way of knowing that Tom’s graduation day was today… right? When Tom let out a loud breath, he earned a few annoyed glares at the students who were, for some reason, still paying attention.  
The past year had been interesting. His friends were pretty accepting of the fact that Tom was gay, but he kept Harrison’s name covered when he was at school and around his dad. He wasn’t getting abused as much, but he still found cravings for a cigarette or two from time to time. After Harrison left and Tom had smoked that last one on the roof, he promised that he would try to stop so as to not let it become a constant thing in his life. He had been doing pretty well until he woke up after dreaming about having sex like a train with Shawn Mendes- he had snuck out onto the roof again and allowed himself to have one to calm down. But since then, he’d forced himself to deal with those dreams by taking cold, cold showers and trying not to wake up Sam, Harry, and Paddy when sometimesthoseshowersjustcouldntquitecutitandTomneededtodoSOMETHING… other than that, he had gotten pretty good.  
And as expected after the letter, Tom never heard from Harrison. Oh yeah, he was definitely still in love with him. They were soulmates… best friends. But if he saw the boy again, he didn’t know if he’d cry, laugh, kiss him, immediately feel the need to just ravish him, or punch him in the face. Maybe all of them. Or maybe none of them, and they would just ignore each other and move on… psh, like Tom could ever move on from someone like that. It felt as though nothing, nobody could compare with the idea of just _seeing_ Harrison Osterfield again and feeling his skin again and kissing him again and-  
Tom was forced out of his thoughts when some music started playing and he abruptly stood with everyone else on stage, the crowd before them clapping and cheering for all the students. Like a horde of ox, they all clambored off the stage in a way that was definitely not the way that they rehearsed. Nobody should care though… it was summertime and everyone just wanted to get out of the heat and start partying with friends and family. Well, Tom certainly wanted to, but Dom had to work, leaving the graduate to stay at home with them (even though they could certainly take care of themselves). He was able to meet up with his friends and exchange hugs, words of love and encouragement, certainly promises to meet up, and as expected, a few tears were shed. When he finally found his family, his three younger brothers all gathered around him and gave him a big Holland-brother hug. Tom smiled and thanked the boys before standing and facing his father. Dominic cleared his throat and shook Tom’s hand, handing him an envelope with the other hand. The boy said a quiet thanks before Dom lead the three younger boys to his car, leaving Tom alone in the crowd.  
He looked down at the envelope and turned it over, opening it to reveal a check. It wasn’t a ton of money, but Tom was grateful nonetheless. Maybe it was one of the only good things he would ever get from his dad… money. And maybe he could live with that.  
Tom said goodbye to his friends and their families, promising to keep in touch before they all went off to college. Most of them were undetermined in their university studies, but there were others who seemed dead-set on one thing. Tom wasn’t sure what he would end up doing in his life… but he certainly knew what he wanted.  
In the end, he found himself walking back to his car and slipping off his cap and gown before driving off to grab some pizza for his brothers. A small part of him was sad and disappointed that Harrison hadn’t showed up… but another part of him had accepted that he might truly never see the love of his life ever again. Especially if Tom went off to college and never came back to his dad. He could never leave his brothers, so he would love to stay in touch with them. But Dominic… Tom’s hand gripped the steering wheel a little tighter than necessary as he sped home with the pizza. 

Harrison couldn’t believe it. His flight was delayed. He growled as he hauled up his suitcase and sprinted to the nearest help desk. He had a layover, which would only increase the amount of time between leaving America and landing back home. When he reached the front of the line, the lady was kind enough to help him understand as to why the flight was delayed. Heavy storms were rolling in, and the plane would land in an hour to make sure that the passengers remained safe. Harrison was still frustrated, but accepted the fact that he would probably be late for Tom’s ceremony and made his way back to the waiting area.  
What he didn’t expect, and in hindsight definitely should’ve accounted for, was the fact that his plane would be put in a holding pattern right above where he needed to be. He pretty much wanted to claw his eyes out, but he figured that he’d spare the flight attendants some cleaning up and just… not. Also, he’d love to be able to see Tom’s face again. That is, a) if he was still living there and b) he didn’t avoid him because had been an idiot for just leaving a letter without a proper word. They had dated, for Christ’s sake. And definitely had not left it on a good note. But sometimes, when he was feeling particularly down… Harrison would just stare at Tom’s name. It might seem weird, but it almost comforted him. Especially during the period of time that his dad was battling leukemia… a battle he couldn’t win. It had been a rough year on the Osterfields. They weren’t at home and his dad didn’t get to die at home. But it was still peaceful. And the school year went by fine: he graduated just a week before Tom had. And now, he was going home. His mother and sister were staying behind for now, but he was going home. And hopefully, home meant being in the arms of Tom once again, with no problems barricading their love. _Hopefully_.  
After what felt like forever, his plane finally touched down and he was allowed off the plane. As he ran through the airport to baggage claim, he set up an Uber to pick him up and drop him off at his old school. When his bag finally appeared on the conveyor belt, he grabbed the handle and continued his mad rush to the exit. When he was finally settled in the back of the car, he pulled out his phone to check the time- he wouldn’t make it. He almost wanted to cry knowing that by now, the graduation ceremony was already well past giving Tom his diploma. So when the driver finally pulled up to the school grounds, Harrison made no effort in speeding up his exit. He dragged his bag out of the car, paid and thanked the driver, and continued towards the football field where people had congregated. It was pretty crowded, even as people got into their own vehicles and drove off with their families following close behind. Harrison looked wildly around to try and see anyone he knew; anyone Tom might be hanging out with. Or the boy himself.  
That was when he saw him. Standing near the edge of his crowd, staring down at his phone as he took small steps towards the parking lot. Harrison’s breath caught in his throat, and he told himself to move, but his legs were stuck. He was frozen amidst families of people he went to school with, his eyes set on his unreachable soulmate. He wanted to call out, but his voice was stuck. Then, Harrison made the worst decision in that split second. He blinked. When his eyes opened again, Tom was gone. Something in the world around him snapped, because he could suddenly move again. He frantically looked around to try and see where Tom could’ve disappeared to… because he wasn’t even anywhere near the direction he was walking to his car. His car wasn’t even- it wasn’t there. Harrison’s heart dropped. Tom had left. He either didn’t see Harrison, or he had seen him and he was ignoring-  
A pair of arms wrapping around Harrison’s torso sent him tumbling to the ground.  
“Where the fuck have you been?!” a voice exclaimed, one that could only bring a smile to Harrison’s face.  
“Hey Zendaya,” he said, struggling under her grip. “If you let me get up, I can return this bear hug.”  
She reluctantly stood and held out her hand to help him back to his feet. Harrison smiled and wrapped his arms around her, picking her up and twirling her around.  
“Put me down,” she hissed, swatting his arm. “Why the hell aren’t you with your boyfriend?”  
Harrison bit his lip and stopped, setting her feet back on the ground and shoving his hands in his pockets. “He left before he saw me. And honestly Z… I’m kind of scared.”  
She frowned. “Why? You guys are soulmates. And neither of you are in highschool anymore, you won’t have to deal with the idiots in this class.”  
He shrugged and scuffed the ground with his shoe. “I dunno. You know we didn’t leave on a good note, and I don’t want his dad to go all psycho again. I don’t even know if Tom will ever forgive me for what happened.”  
Zendaya rolled her eyes. “That was like a year ago, dumbass-”  
“It doesn’t make it any different!”  
“You don’t know that. Talk to him and find out!”  
Harrison sighed and hung his head. “You’re right. But I can’t just show up at his house, that- it just doesn’t seem right, y’know?”  
The girl bit her lip and tapped her foot a few times before snapping her fingers. “Good thing I have an idea, Oyster-field. I can give you a ride to… wherever you’re staying,” she said, gesturing at his suitcase, “and we can go on from there.”  
“You sure whatever you have in mind is a good idea?”  
Zendaya glared at him and lifted up his suitcase, not giving a second glance to the look of surprise Harrison was wearing. “Have I ever steered you wrong?”

Tom tapped his phone screen a few times before he tucked it into the pocket of his graduation robes and continued walking forwards. He felt someone staring at the back of his neck, but he couldn’t find the energy to deal with whoever it might be. Zendaya was already rapidly texting him, and he had just assured her that he would be alright as long as he got home to his brothers and ordered some pizza for them. He climbed into his car and slapped his hands on the wheel, turning the key to start the engine. As he pulled out of his spot and drove into the road, he found himself biting back tears. When he noticed that Harrison hadn’t even come to see him graduate, it had hurt. But since the letter, Tom had felt as though there was a hole in his chest that only ever weakened him. He missed Harrison so fucking much. All he had felt was loneliness, but his sadness numbed the pain. Though he wore a mask, he missed being able to smell Harrison’s specific scent and feel the warm of his skin. He missed being able to fiddle with his fingers and kiss his soft lips until they were bright red. He missed feeling like a whole person… but he guessed that’s what happened when you left a soulmate. Maybe that’s why his dad had become so cold-hearted.  
Though Tom was happy to see his brothers at home and share two large pizzas with him, he couldn’t help but wonder how different it might’ve been if Harrison was there to hold his hand. If they would’ve snuck into Tom’s room for a makeout session, maybe a little more… he shook his head. He would be able to live with his three younger siblings curled up around him on the couch, Paddy almost falling on the floor. With a small smile, he adjusted the three boys and covered them with a few large blankets. He was cleaning up the pizza boxes when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Zendaya had texted him, asking him to meet her at the park just a few minutes away. Tom sighed and replied that he would be there within fifteen minutes.  
He ended up changing into some more comfortable clothes: specifically a simple t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. His shoes of choice were simple black converse, and he did nothing to restyle his curly hair. And though he itched to wear one of the hoodies Harrison had left behind, he couldn’t bring himself too, so he put on one of his own. Only then did he leave the house and start the walk towards the park. He should’ve known when he saw dark grey clouds forming above that it would start to rain, but he ignored it in favor of getting whatever Z had in mind over with. He finally arrived at the park and checked his phone. He was on time… with no Zendaya in sight. He sighed and his head fell back so he was looking up at the sky. A few raindrops splattered on his skin. Someone cleared their throat. Zendaya was standing in front of him, wearing a hoodie as well with her hands tucked into the pocket.  
“So? Why’d you make me meet you out here in the soon-to-be storm?”  
“Are you still in love with Harrison?” she asked straight up. Tom was definitely not expecting that question.  
“Um… well…”  
“Yes or no?”  
Tom continued to stutter. “W-well yeah, I guess… he’s my soulmate, and-” he bit his lip. “I miss him everyday. I think about… about how it would’ve been different if he had stayed. If we hadn’t-” His eyes began to fill up, but he wiped them away with his sleeve. “I dunno, Z.”  
The girl rolled her eyes and glanced over Tom’s shoulder.  
Tom gave her a confused look.  
“Turn around, dumbass,” she said, grabbing his shoulders and shoving him so he was facing the other direction.  
A few paces away stood Harrison, a suitcase by his side, his hair slowly becoming wetter as the rain began to come down heavier.

“Hey, Tom.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> IM SO SORRY FOR ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER BUT IT WAS GETTING SO LONG AND IT ALREADY HAD SO MANY BREAKS IN THE TEXT UGH


End file.
